Men's Fashions

By the 20th century, large numbers of men all around the world had adopted the middle-class men's suit that originated in England. Its basic design has not been altered substantially since 1860, although shoulder widths, lapel widths, the number and placement of buttons, and other details have varied. Most suits in the 19th and early 20th centuries consisted of three pieces: jacket, trousers, and vest (previously known as a waistcoat). Most men gradually abandoned the vest after about 1960. The average suit style has a life expectancy of five to ten years, during which fashion does not stand still. A constant flow of color and pattern ideas freshens styles each season. Fabric fashions also go through cycles. Staples such as tweed, a coarse, multicolored woolen fabric, may disappear from the fashion scene for as long as ten years, only to be rediscovered for another cycle. Throughout the 20th century, the basic trend in suiting fabrics has been toward ever lighter weights. Improved heating in the home and better transportation facilities have minimized the importance of warmth in clothing. Since 1900 the weight of the average suiting fabric has been cut by more than one-third. When really warm clothes are needed, there is a tendency to adopt specialized garments such as parkas, which are often made of synthetic materials.